This is more an explination, rather than a tutorial, but I feel it is still needed. I have noticed that a lot of songs that people have created and applied their frets to, tend to make the songs with the 'Amazing' difficulty a bit too easy. Please note, this is nothing against those who have spent hard effor into making their frets, if needed, copy the frets from your 'Amazing' difficulty to 'Medium' using the Freetar Editor.

When creating frets for your songs, it is important that you create the difficulties correctly. You want to make sure that the difficulty is what it is explained to be. Below I have noted the criteria which should be followed. Each dificulty is self explanitory, but this information will teach you how to use them correctly. I have supplied each difficulty with image examples.

Supaeasy - 1 to 3 Frets - Slow tempo

A very basic fret layout for the absolute beginners. Remember, that you once had to start somewhere when you first played a game like this. Supaeasy usually will contain a small amount of frets, and usually best with a song which has long notes.

Supaeasy Frets

Easy - 1 to 4 Frets - Any tempo

Easy should have a bit of the song's feel of it, and should be enjoyable to the player, allowing them to freely listen to your song first, before moving onto the next difficulty. Bring in the use of the fourth fret here and there just to add a small challenge.

Easy Frets

Medium - 1 to 5 Frets - Any tempo

Medium should be used as the 'warm up' for your kick ass 'Amazing' difficulty. The use of three fret chords should be added to your song and should contain the feel of the song correctly, so it seems as if you are playing the song with little stress, unless needed within a solo. A medium solo should still be hard, but with less finger movements.

Medium Frets

Amazing - 1 to 5 Frets - Fast tempo

This difficulty should be extreemly hard, even for you, its fret creator. Unless you are a great FoF player, this would not mean the same. The use of fast switching chords, and also chords that use up to three frets to be used. Amazing does not mean that you overlap a shit-load of notes all in the same place no matter how hardcore or heavy the music is. Below is an alternative way to still get the fingers going from the first fret to the fifth.

Amazing Frets

Avoiding overlapping is absolutely best unless it is needed for some hard-core death metal music where you cannot help to use them. A small amount of overlapping can be used ( see image below ), but it is a risky use.

Please avoid this!!

If you do need to use overlapping, keep it at a minimal like this.

Acceptable

Another way to avoid using overlapping is fast switching between 2 or three frets. Your song may not sound as if it does change tones as rapid strumming, but I think that in FoF you can get away with changing it this way.

Alternative

Create your frets along these lines which are the same created by what we rate the songs on discussed by the voting team:

Notes ( ie. How good they feel )

Sync & playability ( How good the notes match the song. )

General Feeling ( The "feel" of the song. If you scream YEAH while playing its probably good. )

Keep in mind, most songs you are creating will most likely only need the Easy to Amazing difficuties, but if you want to go all out you can add in teh Supaeasy too. If you created the music yourself or with your band, then you will have a decent idea on where to place your frets. If you are only placing frets onto someone else's music, keep your ears open and go over what you have thoroughly. Always test your song as much as you can in the game, and also ( If you are using it ) the Freetar Editor.

Be careful of your note placement, as a single note a split second out, would throw someones 500hit combo off the line. Also be weary of the syncronisation between the frets and the music. There is nothing worse than getting a great song and finding out that its a second off with its notes. ( Which can also be fixed using Freetar Editor ).

I hope that this will give you a better knowledge on creating the frets for your songs, and keep up the good work, all of you creating songs for Frets On Fire!